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The Coosa Valley Rebels celebrated their second-straight volleyball state championship with a full-school assembly where they received rings to commemorate their crowning achievement. (Reporter Photos/Andrew Simonson)

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HARPERSVILLE – The Coosa Valley Rebels continued what they hope to be an annual tradition as they received rings commemorating their second-straight volleyball state title.

The varsity volleyball team received the rings in a special all-school assembly in the Coosa Valley Academy gymnasium on Friday, Feb. 7.

“It just means everything,” Coosa Valley coach Sydni Brown said about the ceremony. “These girls put in so much work, and we want to give all glory to God first and foremost. He has been with us through this whole season, and these girls just worked so hard and want to portray His light everywhere we go.”

After claiming the AISA Class A state championship in 2023, the Rebels made a perfect run through the postseason in 2024 where they swept all 18 sets of their six matches, including a 3-0 win over South Choctaw Academy in the finals to win their second-straight title.

That meant just like the season before, the team would receive rings to help honor their crowning achievement.

Brown presented each player with a ring during the ceremony after expressing her pride in their hard work throughout the year to win another state title.

The rings aren’t just a fancy piece of jewelry to flash around, but to a former state champion player like Brown, they serve as a reminder of what each player can accomplish and motivate them when times get hard both in volleyball and in life.

“I definitely think it’s crucial,” Brown said. “When I was in high school, we got rings and even when things got hard, because I went on to play in college, and a lot of these girls are going on to play in college, even when those hard practices come, they can look back and be like, ‘I am worthy of where I’m at. I am where I need to be and this is important to me.’”

The design also has special meaning to the players as for the second-straight season, Brown left it to the seniors to decide what the ring should look like. She said their ownership in the design process lets them create something that is truly theirs and reflective of the capstone moment of their careers.

“I let the seniors pick exactly everything they want,” Brown said. “I don’t have any say so in it. None of the other teammates do. It’s all seniors, and last year, they went all black and red. This year, it’s all silver. Completely different seniors, completely different rings.”

Coosa Valley’s 2025 championship ring designed by the senior Class of 2025. (Reporter Photo/Andrew Simonson)

For Brown, another special aspect of the ceremony is the fact that every CVA student from preschool to high school got to see the players receive their rings.

Brown has seen firsthand how the younger students see the players as leaders and role models, and she couldn’t be prouder of the example they are setting and the foundation they are laying for the next generation of Coosa Valley.

“It makes me so excited for the years ahead,” Brown said. “It gets the younger ones excited. They look up to these girls, and these girls are great role models for them and show them what hard work does.”

That work ethic has only carried over into the offseason. Now, the Rebels have their eyes set on a third-straight state title and another ring ceremony this time next year.

Brown said the players couldn’t be readier to get started for the 2025 volleyball season as they look to keep their dominant run going for another year.

“The seniors that have graduated this year have left an impact on the juniors coming in,” Brown said. “They are ready and chomping at the bit to get into the court again. They ask me every single day, ‘When can we get in again?’ They are ready to come in and practice again and come back for the third time.”

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